Advanced HSK - speaking topics

[yonitabonita]

Hi folks,

I'm looking for new ways flog myself this year. I'm thinking that using the HSK oral exam as a way to structure my kouyu lessons would be a nice way to begin. But where do I find a good range of sample questions?

I already know about the BLCU's HSK site - though it's only of limited use since I only get a sample size of one. Can anyone help?

thanks folks,

Yonita

[yonitabonita]

Gosh, this dismal?

Does anyone know how to go about preparing for the HSK oral exam?

Y

[wushijiao]

Does anyone know how to go about preparing for the HSK oral exam?

Well, I suppose I could give a little advice, seeing how I got a B in that section last time.

Do you have any HSK Advanced practice tests? If so, they usually have topics you can use.

As you probably know, the test really consists of two sections. In the first you read out a passage. (I suppose this is so that the graders have at least one section in which they can compare all the students equally). In that section, my guess is that you need to pay attention to three things A) tones B) characters that can be pronounced in multiple ways (ie 重新，重要) and C) not reading like a robot. I’m not sure what the best way to practice for this is. Maybe reading out rather poetic or touchy-feely passages to a tutor or something.

The second part consists of two questions. The questions, at least in my view, don’t see to be too hard, nor do they require very specific answers. It’s a bit like giving a mini-speech, in which you have ten minutes to prepare. How to prepare for this? I don’t know. I often read the papers in Chinese and English and then discuss and debate about issues with my wife, who usually challenges and pushes my opinions. I suppose if you have a lot of experience doing something like that, especially talking about a wide array of issues, you will be set.

Two books that can help:

HSK（高等） 考前强化－口试

21天征服HSK（高等）口试

Both books are worth getting, but I would especially recommend 21天征服HSK（高等）口试. The graphic design is good. It covers a lot of topics. It includes a lot of useful vocab and grammatical patterns that will make you sound smart. I think that would be a pretty good book to help you focus if you are prepping for the HSK with a friend, or if you just want to improve your speaking in general, and it will help you get away from referring to everything in terms of either 好 or不好 .

Other than that, I don’t know. Maybe if heifeng sees this post, she can also help you out.

[wushijiao]

Oh, you can also buy a 多音字 small dictionary, usually in the refrence section of a bookstore. I have a small little one that I bought for 10 RMB in Shanghai called 普通话正音掌中宝. Just a small little book to guide you through the characters the have multiple tones/or different pronunciations, or both. Both times I've taken the HSK Gao, I've noticed that they've slipped that in there. The HSK（高等） 考前强化－口试 also has a section to help you prepare for that (常用多音字）。

(The edit function seemed to be really slow, so thus this second post).

[yonitabonita]

Wushijiao,

Thanks a million for a useful post. I'll have a look at the books you've recommended. With any luck they'll steer me onto the right track.

Y

[roddy]

But where do I find a good range of sample questions?

A few here. I just scanned through another set of HSK exams I have, and it really is very much . . .

1) Please answer an innocuous question of the type a taxi driver might ask about you, your home town, your country's festivals and traditions, or your Chinese study.

2) Please answer a slightly more challenging question a taxi driver might ask about various social issues.

Draw up a list of topics covered in your textbooks and I don't think you'll go wrong.

Both books are worth getting, but I would especially recommend 21天征服HSK（高等）口试.

Glanced at that today and considered getting it, but didn't. Will go back and buy it first thing tomorrow morning.

Have turned off the fancy inline editing thing, it just wasn't working . ..

[wushijiao]

Hehe...I think Roddy has it right. Getting caught in horrible Beijing traffic with a talkative cabbie might be better, cheaper, and more productive than a private tutor too.

In some ways, I think the productive parts of the HSK (speaking, writing) are much, much less challenging than the listening, reading, and 综合. It crazy that you will go from reading a long, complex critique of the characters in 三国演义 at breakneck pace, and then later are asked about your opinions on festivals, or studying abroad in the speaking.

I have a picture in my mind of some guy in Beijing, listening to those tapes for eight hours in a row, trying not to fall asleep or kill himself out of boredom. So, I think it's important to say some interesting things that will hopefully set you apart from the crowd.

[lau]

speaking is the only part of HSK i did not prepare for, and the only one i got A (81 points, so, a very low A) wushijiao is absolutelly correct - speaking is relatively easy. the questions i had was why i like/dislike advertisements and do i often call home to talk to my mummy and why. and thats it!

whats difficult in speaking part is the dreadful part where you have to read that damn passage. i can't read. i have no idea how to pronounce all those difficult characters. but, i guess, if you manage to sound more or less brave, and read more or less fluently not caring about the mistakes you make, well, if even i managed to do that, then i guess everyone can. especially all those people on this forum that have read books in chinese. the big thick non-textbook books. i admire you, people!

what i'd suggest practising is the timing. i was lucky. the tape stopped at one of those moments when i was out of breath and desperately looking for some new aspect to tell them about, so i guess that made an impression of good timing

though we had ten minutes to prepare, i spend that time guessing pinyin for hanzi in passage, and only managed to write down a few things to start speaking about. but you make it up as you go.

[赫杰]

Hi there!

Though I have not taken the HSK Advanced, most of my studies now center around getting my 口语 better and cleaning up the rest of my chinese, so I would still like to make some suggestions. I don't know if you are in China or not, but if you don't have much opportunities to practice with chinese peeps, I recommend (if you are not already doing this that is) to go ahead and start thinking about these topics in chinese no matter what your doing (like doing daily things or even shooting the bull with peeps) and when you got the opportunity to simply speak out loud these thoughts and say them to yourself, that is 自言自语. This has helped me personally a lot, I have found the more in depth and analytical I get, the longer I can speak about a topic, and the more correct my tones and grammar are, then the more expressive I can be when talking to peeps, even if due to nervousness or whatever I make mistakes, I have found a definite connection with the better I can do this, then the more pleased I am with my sessions of speaking with peeps.

I also 背 lots of 成语 and 常见词组，which I probably should do more of...but this has helped out a lot as well.

Edit: O right, I also mimic lots of news reports and tv dramas, this has seemed to help a lot as well...

Just my three cents on the matter

Good luck!

HJ

[gougou]

Edit: O right, I also mimic lots of news reports

Whenever I do that, I find myself at the ridicule of my Chinese friends... They insist I should learn more 口语。

[heifeng]

I also recommend that above mentioned book: HSK（高等） 考前强化－口试 is pretty good, although I haven't used the tape for it ever. I might have to check out that other book mentioned above too

Actually I cannot offer that much advice on the spoken section b/c that is also the section that I have prepared for the least and as a result, have made the least progress, but am going to start taking this section seriously....soon. It seems like as long as you can think quickly and answer the questions, use the alloted time wisely, and read the passage somewhat clearly, a C is no problem.

I know that the passage also poses the biggest challenge for me in the past and my tones somehow get even worse when reading, rather than just making up something on the spot and speaking. Since the reading passage is the first impression the grader is going to have (other than you saying your name and test ID #) it's wise not to completely bomb it. Plus there are certain words that will always pop up, and they will always throw in a few duoyin ci, so it is worth reviewing those.

I guess, if you manage to sound more or less brave, and read more or less fluently not caring about the mistakes you make

hehe, I'd agree with this too, so you have to hype yourself up before the big event, and not let them know that you don't know something! I had a teacher just recommend reading really loud for a half an hr each day to overcome any self-conciousness while reading. Of course I haven't done this yet, but was really confident last time when I clearly misread several words and buthered my tones =P